Books by Paperblanks

Our Paperblanks Mystique soft cover notebook is inspired by a cover said to have been designed by Le Gascon, a legendary but little-known 17th-century bookbinder. The original cover that inspired this Flexi journal was made of red Moroccan leather embossed and gilded with rosettes, spirals and dotted lines.

More sumptuous than even the finest arrangement, our Van Huysum pencil case is based on a painting by Jan van Huysum. A seduction of the eye and a jolt of passion for the soul, this still life is anything but static. The sturdy design always holds its shape, and the lid flap can fold around to create an open presentation case to showcase the items within.

More sumptuous than even the finest arrangement, our Van Huysum journal cover is based on a painting by Jan van Huysum (1682-1749). Van Huysum is perhaps the greatest master of that most revered subject in the Dutch artistic canon: the flower. A seduction of the eye and a jolt of passion for the soul, this still life is anything but static.

Our Golden Trefoil design is inspired by a 16th-century French binding that originally housed a printing of the Opera Omnia of Giovanni Pontano (1426-1503). The design, thought to be created by Claude de Picques, features a classic trefoil (clover) motif, popularly found in some of the world's most iconic logos, crests, insignias and flags.

Our Agra journal cover is named for Agra, India, where the Taj Mahal is located. It reproduces a photograph by Gerard Degeorge of one of the Taj Mahal's iconic marble flowers. To carve into marble is to commit to perfection. Any mistake meant the whole slab had to be discarded. Each of these marbled flowers is its own masterwork.

Our Blue Velvet journal design is inspired by a piece of a 15th-century velvet dalmatic. It is decorated in brocaded gilt metal thread with a seven-lobed shield, an artichoke-like botanical shape and tiny floral patterns. Creating a velvet design such as this would have been a painstaking procedure, making this a luxury fabric during the Renaissance.

Atop the lionfish rides the regal queen of the sea in this artwork by artist James C. Christensen (1942-2017). Our Sea Fantasies journal shows why Christensen's art, inspired by myth, legend and fantasy, so dazzled his legions of fans. He was renowned not just for his pure imagination, but also for his embrace of curiosity and bravery.

Atop the lionfish rides the regal queen of the sea in this artwork by artist James C. Christensen (1942-2017). Our Sea Fantasies journal shows why Christensen's art, inspired by myth, legend and fantasy, so dazzled his legions of fans. He was renowned not just for his pure imagination, but also for his embrace of curiosity and bravery.

Our Kuro journal cover showcases a reproduction of an original piece of katagami art. It reproduces a stencil crafted from mulberry bark and persimmon juice. Such stencils are found throughout Japanese culture. The word Kuro means "dark" or "black" in Japanese and it's the perfect title for this hauntingly shadowed design.